A Mother's Love
by Princess Flare the Fox
Summary: Remember Scourge's mom, Quince? Bad summary...


**Princess Flare the Fox: Has anyone read the Manga called 'The Rise of Scourge'? You know his mother, Quince? What happened when she found that her son was missing? Read to find out…**

Quince smiled, feeling proud of Socks and Ruby as they left with their new owners. She turned and said, "Tiny, guess what? Now you have the whole backyard to yourself! I'm going to teach you how to fight and- Tiny?" She looked around. "Tiny?" She jumped up. "Tiny! Tiny, where are you?" She sniffed the air and caught his scent. Following it to the backyard, Quince again called for her son. "Tiny! Tiny, where are you?" She broke into a run and followed his scent again, being led to the hole in the fence that led to the forest. "Oh, no…"

Tiny leaned against the fence, blood pouring out of a wound on his chest. "I gotta go home…" He murmured. "Gotta get inside…" He looked at the hole in the fence leading to his housefolk's nest. "Wait… I don't have a home now… Socks and Ruby are gone, and if I go back, they'll throw me in the river." He felt tears streaming down his cheeks. "Goodbye, Mama…" He got up and limped away from the place he once called home.

Quince crawled through the hole and glanced around in fear. She looked down at some dirt that looked like something small was thrown into it. There was blood on the ground all around the spot where the creature had landed. Quince couldn't hold back tears as she walked over to the spot and sniffed it. She detected her son's scent all over the mess. Tears came down her face quicker now. Tiny was dead, and the forest cats had taken him. She looked up and saw a bloody mess and small bloody pawprints in the dirt leading toward the city. She immediately wiped her tears away and tried to be cheerful, thinking, '_My son could still be alive!'_ She began following the pawprints and her son's scent.

**Later, in the city**

Tiny stood frozen. The German Shepard growled and barked. Then he noticed the small cat's shadow. It was long and big. Tiny realized what the dog was looking at, and he fluffed up his fur and bared his teeth. The dog began to whimper and it ran past Tiny, trying to flee. Tiny raked his claws across the dog's tail. The dog turned around the corner and was gone. All of the watching cats turned to stare at Tiny. "Wow, that was amazing!" and "Good job!" came from the overjoyed crown of cats. A russet she-cat said, "Thank you! You saved us! What's your name?" Tiny remembered what Quince had told him. '_Those savages are a scourge on the name of all good cats.'_ "My name is Scourge." Tiny said, lifting his chin proudly.

Quince walked through the streets of Harmony groggily. She hadn't slept in days, worried. She had met a few cats, one said that she had seen a small black kittypet with a huge gash on his side and that she had fed him some chicken. Then the kind old she-cat had given Quince some as well. Quince had thanked her than ran into a tom that tried to kill her, and Quince had barely escaped. And now she was tired and hungry, walking through the streets. "Tiny…" She whispered. "Where are you…?"

Scourge glared at the white tom in front of him. "Get me some water. NOW." The cat growled, with a sinister smile on his face. '_Wipe that smile off your face, forest cat!' _Scourge thought angrily. He looked back and saw doubt on Brick and Bone's faces. He gasped then turned to look at the tom again. The cat had started to laugh, just like the rest of his group. Scourge felt fury and he lashed out, ripping the cat's neck open. The cat screeched and fell to the ground. A brown tabby with a broken tail growled, "Come, we must return home." He turned and padded away, his cats following. Scourge looked down at the dead body on the ground and kicked it. _'I had ice in my veins to do what I just did. I want the feeling to leave. But it doesn't. It just gets colder and colder…' _He padded to his nest and curled up. _'And I welcome it.'_

**Moons Later**

Quince sat on the couch, looking down at the kits in the kitty bed. She looked at Jamie, the tom her owners had brought home one day. She meowed, "Watch the kids, I'm going out." Jamie nodded and asked, "Looking for Tiny?" Quince felt pain stab her. "Yes." She turned and padded outside and crawled through the hole in the fence, then ran into the forest. She heard cats howling, and she climbed a tree and watched.

"BloodClan, attack!" Not a cat moved. Tigerstar's amber eyes widened and he screeched, "Attack, I order you!" Still none of the warriors moved, except for the small black cat who took a pace forward. He glanced toward Firestar. "I am Scourge, leader of BloodClan." He meowed, his voice cold and quiet. "Tigerstar, my warriors are not yours to command. They attack when I tell them, not before." Tigerstar gave Scourge a look of hatred. '_Tiny!_' Quince thought in shock, sitting in a tree. Firestar meowed to Scourge, "Greetings, Scourge. I am Firestar, leader of ThunderClan. I wish I could say you are welcome in the forest. But you would not believe me if I did, and I have no wish to lie to you. Unlike your supposed ally here, I am a cat of honor." Quince, for the first time, looked more closely at Firestar and thought, '_Jake_…' Firestar continued, "If you believed any promises he made you, you are mistaken." Scourge meowed coldly, "Tigerstar told me he had enemies in the forest. Why should I believe you instead of him?"

Quince listened as Firestar told Tigerstar's past. She felt fear rising in her, and dug her claws into the tree's bark. "This is Tigerstar's history," Firestar meowed. "It all shows one thing- that he'll do anything for power. If he promised you a share of the forest, don't believe him. He won't give up one pawprint, not to you or any cat."

Scourge meowed, "Tigerstar told me what he was planning to do with the dogs when he visited me two moons ago. He did not tell me the plan had failed." Tigerstar added in, "None of that matters now. We have an agreement with you, Scourge. Fight beside me now, and you'll have all that I offered you." Scourge looked at Tigerstar and meowed, "My Clan and I fight when I choose," To Firestar he added, "I will think about what you have said. There will be no battle today." "TRAITOR!" Tigerstar screeched, and he leapt at Scourge. Quince gasped, "Tiny!"

Quince didn't jump down, knowing she'd be killed. She was shocked when she saw Scourge whip to a side, avoiding Tigerstar. The tabby turned to face him, and Scourge lashed out with his forepaws. Quince suddenly felt cold when she realized that Scourge's claws were reinforced with dog teeth. She noticed Firestar's expression and knew he felt the same. Scourge hit Tigerstar's shoulder, knocking him over and exposing his belly. Scourge dug his claws into Tigerstar's throat then tore downwards. Blood welled out and onto Scourge's white paw. Quince felt sick as she watched. "Tiny… you… what have you done?" She whispered. The brown tabby twitched nine times, gave a final shriek, and then was frozen. All of the cats watched in horror as more blood poured out of Tigerstar's wound.

Firestar looked at Scourge. "You see what happens to cats who defy BloodClan. Your friend here thought he could control us. He was wrong." Scourge meowed. Quince was frozen in fear_. 'That's not my Tiny,'_ she thought, shuddering. She didn't hear Firestar's words, but heard Scourge's voice. "Go home?" He sounded shocked. We're not going anywhere, forest fool. We are taking over this territory now, I shall rule the forest as well as the town. But I understand you need some time to reflect on this. You have three days to leave- or meet my Clan in battle." His ear flicked as a 'thud' was heard. Quince ran back home, terrified.

Quince stopped halfway. "I need to see him, see if this is true…" She turned and followed her son's scent. She padded into a camp-like place. Cats turned to face her and glared at her. Bone came toward her and growled, "Who are you and why are you here?" Quince held her head high. "I am Quince, and I wish to see Scourge." Bone led her to a nest inside a tree. "A she-cat named Quince wishes to speak to you, Scourge." Bone walked out of the den. Scourge turned. "Quince?" Quince stared at her son. Scourge asked, "How did you find me?" Quince looked down. "I've looked for you for moons. I even followed your pawprints to the city. And today… I-I saw…" The pressed her face onto Scourge's cheek. "I missed you, Tiny!" Scourge stepped back. "I am called Scourge. A-and…" He looked at his mother. "I missed you too." He licked his mother's nose. "You have to go. I need to get ready for the battle…" Quince nodded sadly then left.

**Three Days Later**

Quince gasped, seeing the bloody scene in front of her. "I'm too late to stop it!" She cried. Suddenly she head, "Scourge is dead!" And cries of, "RETREAT! RETREAT!" The LionClan cats yowled their victory. Firestar looked at Scourge one last time, then the Clans separated and left. Quince ran forward to her son and nuzzled him. She pressed her nose into his cold body then looked at the wound on his neck. "Firestar did this," She murmured. She looked at her son. "Firestar killed Scourge." She nudged Scourge's head, and his head fell. "Firestar doesn't deserve a life if he takes another's…" She growled, "I will get him…"

**Princess Flare the Fox: The end! R&R Please!**


End file.
